Why ‘Good Boy’ is AMC+’s best hidden thriller

AMC+ doesn’t always get talked about the way some of the bigger streamers do. People think of it as the place for gritty TV, cult horror, and where “The Walking Dead” universe lives. But the movie section? That’s where things get interesting. I did a deep dive on the full lineup, you can read here, and there are way more swings in there than you’d expect. One title especially stopped me mid-scroll. “Good Boy” quietly landed on the service and didn’t make a ton of noise outside horror circles. That’s a mistake. If you’re in the mood for a tight, eerie, genuinely different thriller that sticks with you, this is the one you shouldn’t skip.

Why ‘Good Boy’ is the most underrated thriller movie on AMC+

The premise of “Good Boy” is strange to say the least. It’s a haunted-house, supernatural horror thriller told almost entirely from the perspective of a dog. Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, moves with his chronically ill owner, Todd, into a secluded country house that clearly has something wrong with it. Indy sees things, hears things, and reacts to shadows no one else notices. And the entire movie locks us into his point of view. If he doesn’t see it, we don’t see it. It’s simple, bold, and comes down to epic execution.

Director Ben Leonberg commits fully to the bit in the best way. The camera stays low at dog-eye level, dialogue is mostly off-screen, and the sound design does a ton of heavy lifting. Instead of gore or constant jump scares, the tension builds through creaking floors, distant coughing, and Indy’s body language. Visually, it’s impressive, and emotionally, it will ruin you. It runs just 73 minutes, so there’s no bloat either. The result feels intimate and unsettling at the same time. It’s less about shocks and more about loyalty, grief, and that awful feeling of knowing something is wrong but not being able to explain it.

If you need more convincing, just look at the numbers this movie did. What could have been a gimmick movie made for just $70,000 went on to gross roughly $8.7 million worldwide. That’s not a typo. I did that math (my worst subject), and that’s 124x the production budget. It premiered at SXSW, built serious word-of-mouth, and now sits at 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with a Certified Fresh badge. It even earned a solid CinemaScore from audiences, which isn’t easy for a stripped-down genre experiment. The numbers and the praise line up because this movie just works.

So why didn’t everyone see it? Timing and scale. It had a viral trailer and strong genre press, but it didn’t have a massive studio campaign. It hit streaming in late November, well after Halloween, and got overshadowed by bigger horror titles with recognizable stars and franchise branding. On AMC+, it kind of blends into the library unless you’re actively looking for something different. That’s exactly why it qualifies as under-the-radar. The quality is there but the awareness just hasn’t caught up yet. If you’re reading this article, consider this your signal to give the movie a chance.

Good Boy

October 1, 2025

A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner Todd, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.

What is ‘Good Boy’ about?

“Good Boy” is basically about a devoted dog trying to protect the only person he has. Indy moves with his owner, Todd, to a remote house that once belonged to Todd’s grandfather, and almost immediately, Indy senses something isn’t right. Strange shadows linger in corners, and sounds echo through empty rooms. And as Todd’s health continues to decline, Indy grows more anxious, reacting to a presence no one else seems to notice. The entire story unfolds through Indy’s perspective, turning a familiar haunted-house setup into a tense, emotional thriller about loyalty, fear, and the limits of what love can actually fix.

Other underappreciated thriller movies on AMC+

If “Good Boy” hits for you and you want to keep digging into AMC+’s thriller bench, there are a few more worth your time. “Late Night with the Devil” takes a possessed late-night talk show broadcast and spins it into a slow-burn nightmare that feels like lost TV history gone wrong. “The Nightingale” is much heavier, a brutal revenge thriller set in colonial Tasmania that leans hard into moral tension and survival. And “World War Z” gives you the big, globe-trotting version of suspense, following a former UN investigator racing to stop a fast-moving zombie pandemic. Very different tones, but all part of AMC+’s strong thriller lineup of great movies.

View this article at The Streamable.